Join our Cause on Facebook!

Please visit our cause page on Facebook and join us on our journey of developing the most innovative housing and employment supports for people with developmental disabilities.

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/197917

Join Us for a Change

Please join Community Options, Inc. on the Change.org website to help us raise awareness about us!

COI Ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange!

Cupid's Chase 5k Run/Walk

Run with your heart this Valentine's Day at Princeton University. Proudly sponsored by Community Options, Inc., this 5k Run/Walk will take place at the Jadwin Gymnasium at Princeton University on a certified course starting at 9am on Saturday, February 14, 2009. At the run you will also have the opportunity to order that beautiful bouquet of flowers for a loved on and have it delivered through Vaseful that same day. This Valentines' Day - Change A Life, Maybe Your Own by registering today for this event. Please visit us at www.comop.org and follow the directions as shown below for all the information you need to register.





You can order your flowers for delivery earlier then the 14th at www.vaseful.com or by calling 1-877-Vaseful. We deliver anywhere in the world!

20 Year Old Nonprofit to Ring Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange

Celebrating 20 Years of Dedicated Support Services to the Developmentally Disabled

To kick off the 20^th anniversary celebration, Community Options, Inc., a Princeton based national nonprofit, will ring the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Community Options, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization that has been providing residential and employment support to people with developmental disabilities for twenty years.

With 22 regional offices throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas and New Mexico, Community Options has remained vigilant in its founding mission and cause- to develop housing and employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. Community Options currently employs 2,500 Direct Support Professionals, Management and Administrative staff throughout the country. We are currently supporting over 1,500 people with developmental disabilities in inclusive communities and competitive employment.

The Board of Directors of Community Options including Robert Stack, Founder, President and CEO, Svetlana Repic-Qira, Dr. Clarence York, Frank Zak, Peter Dulligan, Thomas Burdick, Bright Rajaratnam, Tim Dunigan, Paul Hritz, Tim Carden, Howard Maher and Rebecca Bugaj Zak will all be in attendance on Wednesday to participate in the ceremony of ringing the opening bell.

Community Options is the nation’s fastest growing nonprofit organization supporting people with developmental disabilities and while this growth is substantial, the quality of our supports is never compromised. Community Options provides the highest level of quality support and innovation in all program design.

As Community Options moves into its 20^th year of dedicated service, there are many events coming up that would behoove the public, advocates, families and professionals to participate in. May 13-15^th is our 4^th Annual Conference in Princeton, New Jersey which will highlight and coordinate a national symposium of our accomplishments over the past 20 years. Our Annual Gala will be held on Friday, May 15, 2009 at Drumthwacket (NJ Governor’s Mansion) in Princeton, NJ.

To learn more about us and to join us on our journey of supporting people with developmental disabilities, please visit us on the web at www.comop.org.

20th Anniversary Summation

National Nonprofit Reflects

On 20 Years of Dedicated Support to People with

Developmental Disabilities

Thursday, February 9, 1989 could have been just another day for you, but for hundreds of people with developmental disabilities it was a turning point in their lives. They were given the opportunity to choose a provider agency that was going to depart them from segregated unlawful institutions into inclusive community homes. Thursday, February 9, 1989 was the day that officially marked the opening and incorporation of Community Options, Inc.

Community Options, Inc. (COI) began around the kitchen table of Founder and current President and CEO, Robert Stack in Bordentown, New Jersey. With one wall phone, a couple of chairs, pieces of paper and a plethora of dedication, drive and motivation, Mr. Stack and his Associates opened what we know it as today, the nation’s fastest growing nonprofit organization providing quality supports to people with developmental disabilities in 22 offices across 9 states. For 20 years, Community Options, Inc. (COI) has developed housing and employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

Development started in Mercer County and quickly grew to 18 out of 21 counties in the State of New Jersey. What started as a couple of group homes has grown into 62 current homes throughout New Jersey serving over 200 people with developmental disabilities. Community Options has endeavored to develop unique housing opportunities throughout the country including New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Carolina, Texas, New Mexico, Kentucky and Connecticut. Across the country we operate 316 group homes and supervised apartments that promote dignity, independence and inclusivity in local communities. Throughout those 316 homes operated by COI we are supporting 573 individuals with developmental disabilities throughout all 9 states.

Henry Ward Beecher, a social reformer of the 1800’s once said, “The ability to convert ideas to things is the secret to outward success.” The vision and ideas behind the operations of Community Options, Inc. comes from Robert Stack. Robert Stack is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Community Options. He has an MBA and has attended University in Friborg, Switzerland, University of Rome and the University of London. Robert also taught at Kent State University where he received the Graduate Student Teaching Award.

It is because of Mr. Stack’s vision and fortitude to stand by the mission of Community Options that the organization has been so successful. Community Options is exclusive in the fact that throughout 20 years, we have not had to deviate from our original mission of developing housing and employment for people with developmental disabilities. We understand that a lot of nonprofit organizations feel the need to deviate from their mission to incorporate new programming options for budgetary reasons however, Community Options has maintained it’s integrity by staying true to the mission set forth on that Thursday in February of 1989. Within this mission, we have been able to witness extraordinary moments.

Community Options was instrumental in the closing of the North Princeton Developmental Center located in Skillman, New Jersey. The North Princeton Development Center, formerly known as the New Jersey State Village of Epileptics, was established in 1898 to provide an appropriate setting for the care and treatment of epileptics. Epileptics were lumped among the “dependent, defective, and delinquent classes,” and many lived in lunatic asylums or alms houses. In 1995, the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services for New Jersey announced that in 1997, the North Princeton Developmental Center would close. And it did.

In addition to being instrumental in closing state developmental centers throughout the country and developing the most innovative housing opportunities for people with the most severe developmental disabilities, we have worked for 20 years to develop entrepreneurial business that positively employ people with developmental disabilities.

Community Options Enterprises has 21 employment programs across New Jersey. We are successfully placing people with developmental disabilities in real jobs –at minimum wage or better. We are increasing the numbers of people with developmental disabilities landing better jobs with better benefits in the competitive marketplace.

Community Options Enterprises has achieved a gold standard three- year accreditation by the Commission for the Accreditation of Rehabilitative Facilities (CARF).

Community Options Enterprises does not employ the belief of setting up large congregate adult training centers as these types of programs are not effective. We believe in smaller, personalized and innovative programs that are designed around the abilities and desires of the individual that is participating.

The Daily Plan It is an office, conference and copy center where each facility employs 10-15 individuals with developmental disabilities are responsible for the daily supervision of the office, and complexes under supervision of their trainers. We have Daily Plan It locations in Princeton, Morristown, Moorestown, NJ in addition to Dallas, Texas.

Presents of Mind is our newest gift store in Flanders, New Jersey that provides employees with relevant experience in a high-end retail environment. Individuals working at the store participate in all aspects of the store operations.

Vaseful is a full service flower shop that is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey and provides employment and job training to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Reflecting on the past 20 years of life changing events can only be adequately explained in one word - freedom.

Why do we advocate for normalization? Why do we de-institutionalize? Why do we believe people with disabilities should live in the community?

Why did Lincoln free the slaves? Did he do if for sound economic reasons? Did he do it because there was money in his budget? Did he do it because it fit a strategic plan? No. Lincoln freed the slaves because he believed that no one who was a member of society who did nothing wrong against society should be enslaved by our society. He did it because it was the right thing to do.

Community Options has been “doing the right thing” for people with developmental disabilities since Thursday, February 9, 1989 and we are devoted to continuing on this journey and wholly dedicated to converting our ideas into outward success.

(To Join us on our Journey please visit us at www.comop.org)

Assemblyman proposes closing five institutions for developmental disabled

by Susan K. Livio/The Star-Ledger
Thursday January 08, 2009, 6:00 AM


Five of the seven state institutions for people with developmental disabilities would close within five years and the money now spent on them would be used for community housing under a bill a prominent lawmaker is expected to announce today.


Assembly Budget Chairman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) expects a fight from state labor leaders, which represent nearly 8,000 workers, and families who prefer the around-the clock care provided by the developmental centers.
Mitsu Yasukawa/The Star-LedgerAssemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden), chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, speaks in June 2008.


But he says there are compelling moral and economic reasons to "radically restructure" the way the state spends money on people with developmental disabilities.


"We are warehousing human life," Greenwald said Wednesday. "We pride ourselves on being a progressive state in health care and science, but New Jersey is so far behind other states in this area. Every other state has closed 140 institutions, and New Jersey has not closed one in 10 years."


Greenwald said the state can no longer afford to support seven institutions, where it costs about $227,000 to house each of their 2,900 residents. He estimated community care would cost less than half of that amount.


"In the economic crisis, we face an opportunity to change failed public policy," Greenwald said.


The facilities, funded by the state and federal governments, cost $384 million in a year to operate, according to the state Department of Human Services.


Under Greenwald's bill, two centers -- one in north Jersey, the other in south Jersey -- would remain open to accommodate the people who want to stay.


The state Division of Developmental Disabilities has moved 176 developmental center residents to community homes over the past two years, division spokeswoman Pam Ronan said. State officials support the bill's concept, "but we are currently reviewing each provision."


State Human Services officials say there are roughly 2,400 people living at institutions who are willing and able to move to community housing.


Reaction to the bill was mixed. Families, advocacy groups and labor leaders said they were stunned by its ambitious scope.


Robin Sims, whose 25-year-old daughter with autism is living happily at Hunterdon Developmental Center, said the bill "shows no respect" to families like hers.


"Why don't they ever talk to the people it affects?" Sims said. She said she has seen some people leave Hunterdon, only to have their medical and psychological conditions regress because community-based care is lacking.


Joseph Young, executive director for Disability Rights New Jersey, which sued the state on behalf of people who want to leave institutions and 8,000 others living with families who are on a waiting list for state-funded housing, called the bill "an incredibly ambitious program.


"Whether they can logistically do it I have no idea, but clearly they are headed in the right direction," Young said.


Don Klein, executive vice president for Local 1040 Communications Workers of America, said the bill appears to be a stunt to save money at the expense of fragile disabled people.


"In our facilities, the residents get occupational therapy, physicians, dentists -- the whole array." The bill is "an assault on these folks," he added.


Norman Reim, spokesperson for the state Council on Developmental Disabilities, praised Greenwald "for taking this on and looking for a long-term strategy."


Reim, however, said the savings may not come right away, noting that when the state closed the North Princeton Developmental Center in Montgomery 11 years ago, a lot of the money was plowed back into creating community services. "You won't reap the savings until a centers is closed, until the last person leaves," he said.